Pandemic A

6- Conscious.

The bell rang, sound waves rolling across the asphalt and the grass. The final bell of the day. The beginning of a weekend.

I limped out of the classroom and had the ever-present urge to scratch the skin under the bandage I had fastened over the gash in the side of the head Reuben had so generously provided me with the pleasure of meeting a stray rock many times with my face.

But of course, when there's a fat guy passed out on the ground after you assaulted him and gave him two concussions why not break his ankle with that same rock as well?

I wasn't even found until Passing Period that Tuesday, almost an hour later.

If you've never been unconscious, just being out for more than five minutes is extremely bad. An hour?

No question.

On the bright side, Juniper was having a birthday party that evening and for some reason I was invited.

Juniper was a fairly cool girl. Always had a streak of pink in her hair. Usually had black lipstick and some Boy band shirt. She was really sarcastic and fairly quiet.

I had noticed quite a few people had been absent that day. Most posted on LaceFeed they had a pretty bad cough. The rest didn't even post.

I thought for a moment. Wasn't there something about some flu?...   I couldn't remember.

There was a sudden throbbing in my temples.

The pain of the contact with Ruben's rock came back doubles; one of my usual rolling migraines.

I looked around, checking nobody was there I was a little last the front gate, waiting for Michael. (We walked home together on Fridays.)

I took out a long orange bottle of little white headache pills and put a few in my mouth, swallowing without water.

Wait for it.... And... The pain was gone.

»»»

The water sparkles on the freshly cut lawn in the golden light cast by the dying daytime as I walked up to the small house where Juniper lived.

It was one of the few houses I'd seen with a mailbox, and tied to it was an orange balloon; the international sign for a party.

I didn't have any present, as Juniper had requested. I was about fifteen minutes late, as the City Bus was running a little off-schedule that day.

The door swung over after a single knock.

It was Sean, who'd been absent from school recently. He had orange hair and freckles. He was about as heavyset as I was; if not less, and had an almost identical personality aside he was far less of a reader and much more technical.

He had an eye for Juniper, as she did he, but I kept my silence like a good friend.

"Hey Allen."

"Hey Sean."

I followed him to the living room where a few friends sat. There was Rhys, Tulip, Connor, Isabelle (who wasn't in any of my classes) and Anna.

They sat in a partial circle seeming pretty bored. As far as I could tell, her parents weren't home.

"Hey Allen" a few people murmered.

I sat just outside the ring.

There was some pitterpatter about some subject or another, I was yet to be included.

"You up to it, Allen?"

"Sorry, what?" I turned to face Isabelle.

"You want some?" She held out her Palm and offered something. It was a small pill.

Why would she...  Oh.

"I dunno...what is it?"

She giggled a bit. "I took it from my mom. She always gets really... Happy she takes a few. But she's really hush-hush. Calls 'em Aloscits."

Drugs.

I was being offered drugs.

I mean I didn't know any of the side effects or anything, but considering how I was genuinely considering suicide... I took one.

It went dry down my throat, just like the pain pills.

Also like the pain pills, my muscles were almost instantly relaxed. Then I started sweating a bit, and then the thing did it's stuff.

I can't really put to paper what it felt like... Maybe if you fell in love and and had your heart broken at the same time while your brain takes a coffee break, leaving your stomach trying to get rid of breakfast.

As I was forgetting each passing second, I decided I might listen to some music.

I plugged in the earphones and played a random song.
Carry on my wayward son.
There'll be peace when you are done.
Lay your weary head to rest,
Don't you cry no more.

When the drums and the guitar picked up I looked and saw Rhys kissing Tulip. On the mouth but not anything more than the lips.

(A/N this is weird for me to write.)

Huh.

The lyrics were back.
Once I rose above the noise and confusion,
Just to get a glimpse behind this illusion,

My head started to feel weary.
I was soaring ever higher,

I felt increasingly queasy.
But I flew too high.

I vomited.

The guitar refilled my earphones.
Though my eyes could see as well as a blind man.

Why was everything turning dark?
I'd like to think that I still was a madman.
I hear the voices when I'm dreaming,

I was getting sleepier; the comfort becconed.
I can hear them saaay,

I submitted.
Carry on my wayward son,
There'll be peace when you are done,
Lay your weary head to rest,
Don't you cry no more.